


The Pink and the Red

by BurningMoonlight28



Category: Power Rangers Megaforce
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Crossover, Enemies to Lovers, Eventual Romance, F/M, but not really
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-26
Updated: 2021-02-18
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:27:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 10,856
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21964960
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BurningMoonlight28/pseuds/BurningMoonlight28
Summary: With the Valentines Day dance coming up, Troy and Emma's romance is just blossoming, and Jake may finally have a chance with Gia! But when Noah discovers a heartbreaking and dangerous new villain, the group must be on the look out and put their love lives on hold. However, when Emma turns on Troy, can the rest of the group manage to defeat this new foe, and repair the duo's love?
Relationships: Jake Holling/Gia Moran, Troy Burrows/Emma Goodall
Comments: 6
Kudos: 30





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was one of my first stories on Fanficton.net, and I will be continuing it on this platform. Power Rangers Megaforce, the character dynamics (especially the relationships) are some of my favorite things to write. So... enjoy!

Troy closed his eyes and sighed. He had been at this for a while and always kept missing something. "Okay, let's try this again." He muttered to himself encouragingly. Maybe this time he would get it right. Troy slipped the black blindfold over his sky blue eyes and held his dragon sword high. "Heya!" He yelled his battle cry and started his daily workout.

The plastic bottles swayed in the ever blowing wind, and using the direction, he was trying to tell where they would strike next. This had proved useful in his battle with Dragonfly and Creepox, but at that point, all he had to worry about was battling a daily monster. Turns out, they were only the beginning. A couple months later, the Armada, a huge army, had invaded Earth.

They had struck down the town, but the everyone had kept rebuilding it. This just went to show that nothing, not even an army of hundreds, no. Thousands could ever beat the human spirit. But even with everyone helping, especially his amazing team, sleep had still been hard to come by. His dreams had not yet left him, the ones with all those rangers of the past going into war.

This affected his focus, and he was becoming even more distant from his team. He had told them not to worry about him, but it seemed like that was all they were doing. Now, in Legendary mode, his vision may actually come true, what with the Armada actually arriving and all. He hoped with all his heart that Noah had been wrong when he said that dreams can tell the future.

But, he had to admit, the chances of it coming true were pretty real, and having every Power Ranger in history would be a big help against the Armada. By this time, he had completed the course, jumping over logs, and dodging swinging plastic bottles, all which were hidden in his nook of the woods. Finally, Troy took off his blindfold, and almost immediately sensed a disturbance to his left. Cautiously, he turned around.

What could it be, a monster, or a person peeking into the woods? Didn't matter which one. Within seconds he had silently morphed, and hand on his blade, he froze, silently awaiting the incoming attack. Then, whoever it was came out, so suddenly, that Troy almost took out his blaster. But he couldn't do that, not with her standing in front of him, so vulnerable to his blast without her suit, and with no warning.

He caught himself at the last second, as Emma stepped out into the open. He sighed in relief. "Hey." he said, waking over, and sliding his sword in its sheath. Then, he de-morphed, so she could talk to him. "Hey Troy, you okay?" She asked, smiling her sweet smile. Emma had been helping Ernie out, while Jake caught up on some homework.

Gia was helping him out. The thought made her smile. Someone would have to live under a rock not to notice Jake's obvious crush on Gia, and even though she tried to act oblivious, she, being Gia's best friend, could tell Gia was falling for him too. She's not the only one, Emma thought, glancing at the ranger in front of her.

Noah had been in the computer lab, doing more research on the rangers from the past. Emma had noticed that Troy had not been the same since the Armada arrived. She as getting worried, since he was missing school a lot. Well, more than the rest of them were anyway, and was keeping to himself. She snapped back to the present at the sound of his voice, and the feel of his arm on hers. "I'm fine, okay?" he replied, his blue eyes on her green ones.

"The dreams lately have been keeping me up, and I'm just missing school, training for the armada's next attack." She searched his eyes for any signs of hesitance, or, should she say it? Lies. Everyone on her team knew that Troy was not below lying about his health for the betterment of the team, but right know, there was none she could detect. "Okay." She said at last.

"I was at Ernie's and wanted to see if you were okay. I'm worried about you." At Troy's amused glance, she realized what she had said. "I-I mean, we all are." She fumbled for words, and blushed a shade of red almost as deep as his uniform. "I appreciate it, really, I do." He replied earnestly. She nodded and turned away. "Well, call me if you need anything, and I mean anything.

Remember, we're all here for you." Troy nodded and turned back to his training. Emma lingered for a minute more, hoping desperately he'd change his mind. She wanted so much to be there for him, that was what the whole team wanted. But, his stone-still expression made it so hard to read his emotions. That was what she admired about him.

He was willing to put his teammates needs and even feelings, before his own, even at the cost of his personal health. Once she decided that he didn't need her for anything, Emma turned around with a sigh. Maybe she would bike back to the library , see how Jake and Gia were doing, or go do some research with Noah. Maybe go back to Ernie's... "Wait!" She heard a shout behind her. Smiling quietly, before turning around, she said, "Yeah?" Now it was Troy's turn to fumble.


	2. Chapter 2

He played with his sword for a minute before finally managing to get out, "I-I could use a training partner." He said smiling. In response, Emma smiled slyly, before she too morphed into her pink super mega outfit. Emma took off her helmet, since this was only practice. Not even Troy had his on during training. She pulled out her sword, and said, "Think you can keep up?" This got a laugh from Troy. She smiled; at least he was having fun again! "Oh, I know I can!" Came his response.

"We'll see about that Burrows!" Emma retorted playfully. Troy was taken aback for a second, having heard Emma call him by his last name. But he also smiled in a playful way. "Yes we will, Goodall." This brought on a smile from each of them. They charged at each other, both of their faces set in a determined way, each wanting to beat the other, in this training session.

"4x + 25yz- 89/7a = what b?" Gia asked Jake, leaning over the table to catch his response. They were in the library, where Gia had finally agreed to help Jake with his homework. Besides, she had some to catch up on as well. Because of the Armada attacks recently, she had to make up some or the other excuse to leave class. Not that it was a problem, since the teachers were just as taken with her as the other kids were.

Especially Jake. He had not left her alone until she had agreed to help him finish his algebra. That was always his weak subject. Come to think of it, all subjects were his weak subject. Sure he liked Mr. Burley and all, but let's face it. School, just wasn't his thing. Except...he glanced over at the pretty blond in front of him. There is one part I like about school, he thought to himself. Gia was glancing down at her own homework while waiting for his response.

He hoped that he could get closer to her in the days to come, but with everyone being so preoccupied with the attacks, there hadn't been much time for impressing Gia. Gia...wait, what was the question again? It didn't matter, Gia was still in front of him, looking beautiful as always. Suddenly, her head snapped up. "So, you have an answer yet?" She asked impatiently.

Jakes hands flew to his head, which he was scratching furiously. He always did that when he was nervous. He searched for an answer, looking around the library as if the answer would pop out at him. When it obviously didn't, he nervously glanced back at Gia, who had her eyebrow raised, and was watching him fumble for an answer in an amused way.

He couldn't focus on math now! "Uh...how 'bout we go to Ernie's for a bite to eat first?" He suddenly stated, standing up. Homework or no homework, he was hungry! Gia glanced at him quizzically before relenting. She stood up as well, and with one grateful sweep of her arm, all the books fell into the bag. How she did that so perfectly, Jake could only wonder.

"Here," she said, casually walking over and handing her bag to Jake, in addition to his. "Make yourself useful." She stated, walking out of the library, while Jake struggled under the weight of the two bags. Gia's amazing strength was another mystery he would never uncover. Jake finally held both the bags over his shoulders and ran to catch up to her.

She stopped abruptly and turned around. Gia smiled to herself. He was really persistent, but would he be persistent enough to buy this time? Gia placed her hand on his chest and said in a voice like honey. "Oh, and one more thing." She said looking up at Jake, who in turn looked as if he was on heaven. She did have that effect on boys. "Yeah, anything." He said, smiling wide.

"You're buying." She clearly stated, turning back around and mentally patting herself on the back. Surely he wouldn't like her that much to actually buy, right? Jake let the whole effect of what she said soak in, and after she had turned away, he understood. So, she thought he was going to walk away that easy, huh? No way was he giving up. "Sure, what would you like?" he asked, hands in pockets, trying to sound as casual as possible.

For a second, she looked surprised, and even impressed. Gia Morgan actually looked impressed... by him! It looked like she didn't expect him to agree. But, being sure to maintain her cool rep, Gia composed herself. They had reached the inside of the welcoming Fro-yo shop. "I'm going to see if I can find Emma. Surprise me." And with that, Gia walked up to the manager of the joint, also known as Ernie himself.

Jake on the other hand, went up to the counter to order, where he spotted a familiar blue blazer. "Noah!" Jake greeted his friend, and teammate. "How's it going buddy?" Jake clapped him on the back, and only then did Noah sense Jake's presence. " Oh hey, Jake, you gonna order?" At Jake's nod, Noah continued. "Okay, then come over with the others and I'll show you what I've been researching."

Jake ordered with one of Ernie's recent helpers, then sat down with Noah. "Gia, come on!" Jake called out. What was taking her so long? All she had to do was find Emma, who had said earlier that she would be here. Come to think of it, where was she? Troy wasn't here either. Jake had been especially worried about Troy after his near death experience! That had been when Damaras had kidnapped him.


	3. Chapter 3

Despite Troy's protests, Jake couldn't help but think that it had been his fault. If only he had protected Troy better, if only he had fought harder, then Troy wouldn't have been tied to a pole and used as bait to get the Earth to surrender. Well, at least he had comfort in the thought that it was him who had saved Troy, just when Damaras's guards were about to, in the monster's words, "Finish him!"

Anyways, Gia was talking to Ernie and came over to where the boys were sitting, just as someone came over with their orders. "Hey Gia," Noah said, nodding to the blond, who nodded back. "Guys, Emma was here, but apparently she got worried about Troy and went into the woods to check on him, see if he needed anything."

Noah pondered this for a good minute. What he had discovered was important enough to be shared with the whole team, not just three of the members. "I discovered something really important that I have to show you, and it can't wait, but I can't do it with just the three of us, and definitely not here." Noah said, gesturing to the crowded Fro-yo shop.

Gia nodded urgently. "The let's go and find Troy and Emma, I have a feeling I know where the are, maybe we can even surprise them." Noah got up and the two of them started to leave when Jake stopped them. The Fro-yo looked so good, and they always had to leave whenever Jake bought. What a waste of money...and good Fro-yo.

"But guys, can't we even taste the Fro-yo?" Jake asked, giving them his best convincing smile. Unfortunately it didn't work. Gia tilted her head in a frown and crossed her arms over her chest. Noah had no emotion as always. "Come on Jake." He said simply, as Gia and him turned to leave. With a sigh Jake got up, and after shooting the tempting glass of ice cream a last longing glance, he finally relented, and chased after the two.

Back in the woods, Emma and Troy were still going. Troy was impressed. When Emma had first introduced herself to him, she had seemed like a happy-go-lucky girls, you know, one of those "nice-to-everyone" types, but who couldn't care less about what happened to anyone. In fact, she was quite the opposite. While she was sweet and thought of herself as a somewhat klutz, she could be serious and intimidating when she wanted to, and no one could ever hurt her friends or the Earth without paying the price.

And she trained hard, so hard that she had now matched him in abilities. From what Troy knew about her, she had no experience prior to becoming a Ranger, with fighting. He, however had been teaching himself Martial Arts for a while. You need to, if you live in a foster home, and are constantly moving from place to place. The isolation, and the bullies are normal things to deal with as the new kid.

But here, it was different. People were actually nice to him, and he couldn't help but think that all of that had started when Emma had approached him in the hallway on the first day of school. She really was something, from her personality, character, and her singing...

Emma squinted and glanced into Troy's blue eyes. As their dual went on, he seemed out of focus more, and his eyes seemed to wander. A normal person wouldn't have noticed, but...then again, a normal person wouldn't be dealing with real swords.

Emma however, saw this as an advantage. She could actually beat Troy in training! All she had to do was wait for the right opportunity. One was sure to come up soon. She just had to be positive. Wasn't that what Troy had said he liked about her? Now she had to prove it. Keep going just a little while longer...

"Come on guys," Gia rushed the two boys, who were struggling to keep up with her. She flew over the roots and under the branches of the woods, as silent as a mouse, while Jake and Noah seemed like they were making an effort to step on every single branch. Finally, she reached a thicket of bushes where she could easily spot Troy's training ground, but was hidden from view.

Seeing shadows beside her, she glanced up to see Jake and Noah trudging towards her. Jake kneeled down on Gia's left, and Noah on her right. Both looked exhausted, and were panting heavily. Gia rolled her eyes, and stifled a laugh. She hadn't even broke a sweat! "What are w-" Jake started, but stopped abruptly as Gia put a finger on his lips, stopping him mid-sentence.

Then, slowly, she brought her finger back to her own mouth in a motion for him to be quiet. Jake threw his hands up in mock surrender. "Okay, okay!" He mouthed silently to her, while Noah sighed. All three of them turned to the clearing, where apparently, Emma and Troy, both morphed but without their helmets were sparring each other.

Noah turned to Jake and Gia, and quietly whispered. "Look at them go!" "Yeah," Gia agreed, "Emma is improving so much, she is matching Troy's every move!" Jake sat in thought for a moment. "What if they ever had to actually fight each other in?" Gia looked at him appalled. She punched his shoulder lightly. "It would never come to that!" Noah looked thoughtful as well. "But what if it did? That was part of what I wanted to show you, but later. I want to see how this ends." The three of them turned back to the dual.


	4. Chapter 4

Troy kept going, but his mind was wandering. From the Armada, to Robo-Knight, and finally, to Emma, where it lingered throughout their match. How was he ever going to protect his team, protect her from the Armada's massive numbers?He just needed to keep going, but concentration was slipping..."What you thinking Troy?" Emma asked in her sweet voice. Then it turned to steel. "You know that whatever you do, you can't protect us all, can you?" He searched his mind for a suitable answer, taking his mind off the training just momentarily.

Emma's question did it. Troy was thinking about their team, that was what had gotten to him. It was his weakness, at least for the moment, but she could tell he was distracted. An opening was clear, so she went for it. "Heya!" Emma cried, as she swung her sword in the weak spot behind his knees, and watched him buckle.

Suddenly, he was on his knees, her sword just inches away from his face. Emma's blow, though it had been light, had de-morphed him, and he froze there, helpless to the blade if she were to be the real enemy, which she was not, would never be. "Hit the nail on the head, didn't I Burrows?" Emma just had to ask.

Gia, Jake and Noah looked to each other in amazement. Emma just beat Troy! Her tactic was flawless, according to Noah. Distracting him with his emotions? Brilliant! Although it wouldn't work on the Armada, since they had no emotions, but her strategy was brilliant still. It also told everyone what Troy had been so distracted about these last few days. Leave it up to Emma to get Troy to bring out his feelings in the most subtle way.

Jake whispered in shock. "Well," he said looking directly at Gia and Noah. "Good thing Emma and Troy are anything but enemies, or Troy better watch his back!" The two of them nodded and proceeded to watch their exchange, and see how Troy would take being beaten.

Troy looked up at Emma, where her blade was inches from his face. Her blow had de-morphed him, so now, if she had truly been the enemy, he would have been helpless. His sword lay a few feet away, its point stuck into the soft dirt.

"Hit the nail on the head, didn't I Burrows?" She asked.

Troy kept his expression unreadable, until she de-morphed herself and reached down to give him a hand, brown hair blowing in the light breeze. Troy was once again reminded of her song she had sung a while ago, the song that had saved him and the others from Dizchord's horrifying music. Then, he allowed himself a slight smile and took her hand gratefully.

"Well played, Emma." He said, as she pulled him up, laughing. Once he was steady, he waited for her to pull her arm off, but she didn't. He looked into her eyes, which were a fierce shade of emerald green, and were staring deep into his. Her face had taken on a serious expression. "Now that I got the general idea of what's on your mind, please Troy. Talk to me. If you just tell what's really going on, I can help."

"We all can," came the strong voice of Gia. Both Troy and Emma turned to face the blond who had gotten out of the bushes. "Gia?" Emma asked, very surprised to see her friend there. "Noah, Jake?" Troy questioned as well, as the two other boys got out and stood facing them. Noah's eyes fell on Emma's arm, which was still on Troy's. She followed his gaze and hastily removed her arm. Troy seemed oblivious to this, as his eyes were on the three-some.

"W-what are you doing here?" Emma asked, still a little embarrassed that Noah had noticed her arm on Troy's. He however, was as unfazed as ever. Gia stepped forwards to reply. She too had noticed Emma's sudden move, but decided that there would always be time to tease her later. "We had gone to Ernie's and met up with Noah there. He had something to show us, but we needed you guys too. So, I got a clue where you two might be from Ernie, and thought we could surprise you, but I think we got the surprise instead." She said, glancing back towards Jake and Noah, all of which had knowing smiles.

"Exactly, how much did you guys see?" Troy asked them, curious to know. Jake came forward and tried to act casual. "Oh, you know...just enough to see you get crushed by Emma!" He ended enthusiastically, but calmed down after Noah's glare. Gia spoke up, her head slightly tilted. "How exactly did you do it though?" Troy moved back to meet Emma's eye. "Yeah Emma," He said. "Were you training lately!" She tried to see if he was mocking her in any way, since she normally would rather spend her time taking pictures in the forest, not training. But his question seemed genuine. She intended to give him an equally genuine answer back.

"Well, I have been training, but this was just a way for me to find out what was going on with Troy. He just seemed so...off lately, and I wanted to help. I had a theory as to what was bothering him, but if I just asked, he would deny it. So I brought it up while sparring. If it distracted him, that meant it was on his mind, and was bothering him. Turns out, my theory was right. Now, since technically I still beat him, he owes me. So, Troy. Just tell us what you've been thinking about. We're a team, remember? We help each other."


	5. Chapter 5

Troy glanced around at his teammates, no...friends and sighed. He could tell them what was going on right? They wanted to know. "Okay" he relented. Emma mentally cheered. She knew she could get him to open up. It was something she had been trying since she had first met the mysterious, quiet boy. Everyone stood still, waiting to hear the explanation they so wanted to hear. Gia knew why he didn't want to tell them. Surprisingly, she could relate. Being the "cool" girl at school, she was afraid to ask for help at all, but Emma had showed her how to open up. Now she was helping Troy, and he accepted her help. The thought made Gia smile.

"I've just been thinking...Underneath our suits and helmets, we are normal teenagers. I couldn't protect Robo Knight, no matter how much I tried. And with these attacks getting stronger, I don't want to see any of my friends get hurt in any way. So, I am trying to figure out, how do we beat the Armada? It will take more power to beat them, all of them. And I want to do it in the safest way possible, you know. With the least amount of building getting destroyed, and the least amount of people getting hurt. I didn't want to let you down, that's why I have been so distant."

Troy looked up at them, all who which had sympathizing smiles on their faces. None of them had any idea what had been going on! But, at least Emma was close. Troy looked like he could use some support, no one should have to go through this alone. Without thinking, she reached forward and wrapped him in a hug. This had taken everyone by surprise, but Gia would expect nothing less from Emma; she had the biggest heart.

Troy hesitated only a second before warmly returning the hug. Emma pulled away and looked into his eyes. "No wonder you were always so distant. No one should have to go through that alone." Jake came up behind her. "That's right Troy, we all know the risks. We can back out, but we choose to fight." Gia nodded and added in, "We're in this as much as you are, Troy." Noah finished off. "We are a team, after all. Earth's defenders..." Noah put his hand in the middle. Gia, Jake and Emma followed.

Troy was hesitant. He really didn't want anything to happen to Emma, or anyone else for that matter, but they did insist on taking on the risks, just the same as him. He couldn't control what they wanted to do, and they were in this together, all the way. "Come on Troy!" Emma's voice snapped him back to the present, where he realized they were all waiting on him.

Allowing himself a smile, he joined in. They all mentally counted to three and raised their arms in the air. "...Never surrender!" Everyone finished. Then, all of them left the woods together. Jake slowly inched closer to Gia. Maybe I can make a move now, he thought. He walked next to her with his hands by his sides. Gia glanced at him. He did buy for her, and it did waste his money. I guess I could give him a treat of his own,she thought, and subtly slipped her hand in his.

Surprised, he whipped around to look at her. She just returned his look with a small smile and a shrug. Then, he turned back around, smiling wide, and mentally patting himself on the back. Meanwhile, Troy and Emma walked along behind them. Both seeing the exchange between the two, they gave each other a knowing glance. After a couple more yards, Emma absentmindedly laced her arm with his and placed her head on his shoulder.

Troy gave her a sideways glance, but Emma was looking ahead, all the while hoping he wouldn't move away. Troy however, kept walking, enjoying the peaceful feel of the cool, autumn afternoon...and the feel of her next to him. With the Armada, there wouldn't be many moments like these. I shouldn't think about this now, just enjoy this afternoon while it lasts, he thought.

Noah sat down on a park bench and waved them all over. It was time to reveal what he had learned to the others. And boy was it big! "Guys come on!" He said, as they all gathered around him and his iPad. Gia and Jake on one side, Emma and Troy on the other; both "couples" completely serious. Noah really hoped that what he was about to show them wouldn't hurt any of his friends. He wasn't going to be affected in any way by this...

"What is is Noah?" Troy asked, curiosity gleaming in his eyes. Jake however looked exasperated, and shook his head. "Seriously dude! What's so important that you had to disrupt my moment with G- uh, I mean...my homework for?" Jake added at the last second. Everyone laughed for a minute before getting back to business.

"Well, I was searching the ranger database Tensou gave me, and I came across a specific villain." He showed them a picture of a monster who looked like a giant heart broken in two, and had two swords, one red, and one black. He also had a double sided arrow through him, connecting his two sides. "This is Dizvaluntine, and he fought for the Nighlok against the Samurai Rangers."


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, I know it has been a long time since I updated this story, but hopefully, within 2 weeks, another chapter will be posted to this story. So please look forward to that!

"What happened to him?" Asked Jake, laughing at his appearance. "He looks like he got up rejected to the Valentines Dance!" Gia exclaimed. Emma shushed them, and ushered Noah to go on. "Trust me guys, this isno laughing matter." He continued. "Disvaluntine specializes in tearing people apart, not literally, but he could do that too. But get this; he only turns, like...people who "like" each other apart."

Troy leaned closer to see and said, "Well, how does he do that?" Emma nodded. "Yeah, its not like he could just stick an arrow with poison in one person and another one in another and make them hate each other!" She, Jake, and Gia laughed at her crazy remark. Troy was silent and listening, but Noah shook his head. "Not exactly, but close Emma." He said, oblivious to the fact fact she had been sarcastic. Immediately, the three grew silent and awaited further explanation.

"Actually, Disvaluntine targets people who, you know, "like" each other, uses one side of his arrow to interject it into one person. He puts the other side into another person. The first arrow is coated with a poison that will reverse their feeling for the person who got struck by the second arrow. The second person will not hear anything or anyone else, but the first person, and will forget all memories of the monster." Noah explained.

"And that's not all. The first person's memories of the second person will be erased, and replaced with monstrous memories instead. Disvaluntine's goal is for the first person to destroy the second person, and then snap the first person out of the poison." Troy mused this information. "Why would he want to take the poison out of the first person?"

Noah turned to him. "Remember, Disvaluntine worked for Master Xandred, leader of the Nighloks. Their primary mission was to create human misery, so the acid Sanzu River would raise and flood the Earth. Think about it. What could be more miserable than having someone you like, want to destroy you?"

Gia slapped her hands together. "Of course! And he takes the first person out of the poison so they realize what they have done! Once they realize they destroyed the second person, they would be sick with misery!" Noah finished off. "After the Samurai destroyed him the Armada brought him back and hired him to join them, so we might be facing him soon."

"Whoh," Jake said, and Emma nodded. "That must be horrible." Noah sighed. "Yes, I just thought this was information worth sharing." Troy agreed, "It definitely was. Thanks for letting us know." Emma stayed silent. Troy came up to her and put his arm around her shoulder. "Hey, you okay?" She started to nod and looked up at him in mock shock. She playfully punched him in the shoulder. "Hey!" She said. "That's my line!"

Troy smiled, rubbing his shoulder. "No seriously, are you okay?" She sighed and walked towards the others. "I was just thinking, how horrible it must be for those people. I really hope Disvaluntine doesn't strike here." Noah laughed. "Yeah, or else you guys better watch out!" Everyone turned to look at him quizzically. He spread his arms out in surprise. "What? The one time I make a joke you don't get it? Cause, like...Jake and G-, well Troy and Em- never mind." He sighed and it was everyone else's turn to laugh.

"Lets just go." He said, and everyone turned to walk out of the woods. They stopped at the ridge that over looked the city. The sky was painted brilliant shades of red, yellow, green, blue and pink. "You know..." Troy started to say and turned around to face the others. "We really need to protect this planet, whatever it takes." He put his hand in the middle of the circle they had formed. Smiling wide, everyone joined him. "Go, go, Megaforce!"

The next day at school, Emma pushed her books in, and, after arranging her various assortment of pictures, she came across one that she was fond of. Sighing, she glanced at the photo in her hand. It was a picture Gia had taken after Rico, her close robot friend, had been set "free." It was of Emma, standing by the railing, in the park overlooking the Bay Area...and Troy was with her. He had his arm around her and was holding her close, as close as she wanted to be.

He had just been comforting her about Rico's loss, by comparing it to his loss of Robo-Knight, to whom he had grown very strong with. Troy looked peaceful, as he had gotten Emma to feel the same. Gia had taken this photo to tease them, and the others got a good laugh about it, but Emma still loved the picture. She put it inside her locker and shut the door, surprised to see Troy standing behind it, leaning against the other lockers, hand in his pockets, gazing at her.

"Hey." He said, and she smiled. "Hey Troy, mind helping me with my books?" He took them from her hand and swung it over his shoulder with ease. "No problem." He stated as they walked down the hallway. Suddenly, he stopped, and Emma turned to face him. "By the way..." Troy started, pulling something out of his leather jacket. Emma gasped as soon as she saw what he had. "Happy Valentines Day." He said, handing Emma a gorgeous, pink rose.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, I've been on a writing spree lately trying to tranfer my stories from Fanfiction to Archive, and updates will be slower from now on. I've been beyond busy but I'm going to try my best to keep up with my work from now on and complete what I have promised. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter!

“Troy, thank you so much! It’s beautiful!” She gushed, taking the rose from him carefully. 

“It’s not the only thing… “ Troy replied, using his hand to guide hers so that the flower slipped into her cascading brown locks. She looked down and blushed, then the two started walking again. They stopped once more at the end of the hallway where two students were trying to hang up a banner that said, “Harwood’s Annual Valentine’s Day Dance: Girls ask Guys.”

Suddenly, a voice from atop the counter boomed out, “Watch out!” Troy and Emma glanced up, just in time to see a bucket of paint and a couple of brushes fall off the ladder and plummet towards them. In a flash, Troy had rolled over and caught the bucket of paint before a single drop could touch the ground - or Emma. She, on the other hand, had launched into a backflip and caught the three brushes that had fallen over. The girl atop the ladder came down. “Thanks guys,” she said, taking the supplies and putting them in a more stable position.

“You have great reflexes! Where did you two learn to catch like that?” The pink ranger and the red ranger gave each other a knowing glance and were shrugged.

“Don’t know,” Emma replied, walking past the gawking girl. Following her lead, Troy walked ahead to catch up to her. 

“Just… picked it up I guess,” he called over his shoulder to the girl who had spilled the art supplies. 

As he caught up to Emma, she glanced sideways at him. “So, are you going to the dance on Friday?” 

He stopped and faced her. “Haven’t really thought about it. I’ve never been to a Valentine's Day dance before.”

She punched his shoulder, astonished. “What?” She asked as he nodded. “Stop acting like Orion!”

He shrugged, “Hey, I’m not trying to!” 

She let her hands drop to her sides as realization struck her. “You’re serious?” She asked. 

Troy put his hands in his pockets and walked ahead. “Yeah. I mean, you need to ask someone to go, and at any of my other schools I’ve never really found anyone to ask. Over here, its girls ask guys and I haven’t been asked yet.” He turned around to look at her. She hadn’t moved from her spot and was gaping at him in surprise. 

Then, as she comprehended what he had just said, she tried to see what he was thinking. Did he want to “guilt” her into asking him? Sounds like something  _ Jake  _ would do, not  _ Troy.  _ But in his blue eyes, all she saw was curiosity. Troy kept his eyes on Emma. She tilted her head, studying him. He tilted his head as well. What was there for her to doubt? He was merely telling her his experiences at dances before, which for the record, there was none. Wait… did she actually think he was trying to pull a  _ Jake _ on her? Hah. As if he would  _ ever _ try such a thing. He wouldn’t.

Sure he liked Emma, but he didn’t want to try any tricks to get her to like him. If she liked him, it would be for  _ him. _ Troy decided he better clear that up. He walked over to Emma where her arms were crossed over her chest. She was watching him like a… well… a Phoenix, which was her animal. She, however, was still not convinced. She was learning new things about Troy all the time! But… she knew him enough to know he wasn’t like Jake. But, she decided to have some fun anyways. “What are you up to Burrows?” She asked him playfully.

He threw his hands up in surrender. “Nothing!” He said. “And if you think I’m trying to pull a Jake on you, then I swear I’m not.” He said, as she took his arm reassuringly. 

“Don’t worry,” she said, smirking as she lead him towards class. “I trust you.” She leaned in closer. “Red ranger.” This got them both laughing, as students in the hallway turned to see the two walking to class. “By the way,” she started, glancing down, then stopping to look up at him. He gazed into her eyes. “Would you like to go to the dance with me?”

He took her hand. “Sure.” Then, he brought her hand to his lips and kissed it. Smiling, she pulled him into a tight hug right there in the middle of the hallway. But… no one interrupted. Just as they pulled away, the bell rang for class. “Shall we?” Troy started, stepping aside to let Emma through, and he followed after. Laughing, the two rangers made their way to class to enjoy a normal day. At least… for now.

* * *

Meanwhile, Jake was walking down to Gia’s locker when he noticed the exchange between Troy and Emma. “Hi Gia!” He said casually, walking over to the pretty blonde. She had also been watching her two friends, and was happy that Emma had finally asked someone to the dance,

And not just anyone...Troy. She had teased her about liking him before, but was ultimately happy to see them together. Now, to deal with Jake. Don’t get her wrong, she  _ did  _ like him; She just couldn’t let him see that. Not yet anyways. She had heard Emma’s remark on Troy “pulling a Jake” as she called it. While Troy may not do that, Jake on the other hand, actually might. Gia would definitely ask him! Just… her way. “Hey,” she said, taking her eyes off of her friends.

“Happy Valentine’s Day!” He said, presenting her with a box of chocolates and a yellow rose. She bit her lip. He was making this  _ so  _ hard to act cool! Yellow was her color, and these chocolates were her favorite! But… anybody could have figured that out. If Jake wanted her to ask him, he would have to show her. 

Jack wondered why Gia turned away. Didn’t she like the rose and chocolates? He had personally asked Emma on her input. Gia walked ahead, clutching her books while he stood there, gawking at her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it for this chapter! My goal will be to get another one in by the end of the month, as I'm going to be fairly busy with exams and competitions and stuff, but I'll try my best. Please leave a review on how you liked it, and let me know what else yo think Jake will have to do in order to win Gia's heart!


	8. Chapter Eight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so so SOOOO SORRY for how late I've been with this. I've finished all of my other unfinished fanfictions, but for some reason, inspiration just wasn't striking for my first ever fanfic. Again, I apologize sincerely for the delay. I can assure you that even though I haven't watched Power Rangers Megaforce in 6 years, I WILL finish this if it's the last thing I do. I know the pain of being invested in something only to find out the author has discontinued it. That being said, this story isn't fun for me anymore, so all I ask is that you're patient with me as I try my best to finish this. Thank you for staying by my side.

“By the way, I hate yellow, and those chocolates look expired,” she called over her shoulder. Jake shook his head in shock. Since when was that true? Wait. Emma had told him about this. She would  _ pretend  _ she doesn’t like it until he kept giving her something. You know, to prove how much he liked her. Oh, so she wanted to play it that way? Well, he could play that way. He had come prepared. Having friends in high places was a great thing. Emma was a big help, so he knew what to do. Gia kept walking… then, she heard Jake behind her.

“What is it?” She asked, trying to sound impatient, but the smirk on his face told her that she had failed… miserably. “Well, I thought you might not like it, so I brought this.” He handed her a brown teddy bear that was holding a heart. She resisted the urge to gasp in delight. And the heart… it had her name on it! Gia clamped her mouth shut and tried to swallow her feelings. Jake watched her closely. He knew she wouldn’t cave in just yet. Sure enough, she started to walk ahead once more, but not before taking the bear and putting it in her bag.

“It’s fine,” she said, not bothering to turn around to face him. She couldn’t stand to see his face, or she might actually break down. “But its too… too… uh…” she struggled for an insult to the adorable bear. She had stopped in the hallway, trying to think of something, anything, to say. Jake smiled to himself and walked up again. He had one last trick up his sleeve. “I made this for you, by the way,’’ he said casually, handing her a card. This time, it was his time to walk away.

With his signature soccer ball in hand, he walked off towards class. Gia however, gingerly read the card. It was so sweet! She couldn’t stand it any longer. Her hands flew her mouth in delight, and she could feel tears coming to her eyes. Quickly, she blinked them away, and took out her little bear. “Hey, wait up!’’ She called to him, as he stopped and mentally patted himself on the back. “Yeah?’’ he asked her, playing with his ball. She sighed and decided to get this over with.

Jake deserved it anyways. “Thanks for the gifts,’’ she started out by saying. Jake gazed at her. “Hey, no problem.’’ She placed her hand on his arm, as he turned to face her. “Would you like to go to the dance with me?” She asked, to which he replied, “Yes! Uh… I mean, yeah, sure, no problem.” Gia merely laughed, and the two walked towards class. 

Meanwhile, Nao was in the computer room (as always) and was unaware of the “romantic” exchanges between his friends. He was intent on learning as much as he could about Disvaluntine. “Why do I get the feeling he’ll strike today?” He asked himself. Suddenly, it hit him. What better day to strike than Valentine’s Day?

“Uh, I better warn the others to stay on their toes!” he mumbled, and hastily got up to leave, bumping right into… Mr. Burley? “Uh… Mr. Burley!” Noah said, surprised. Instantly, he moved to cover his screen. He had forgotten to turn it off! 

“Noah, a-are you playing games on a school computer?” The old teacher asked, moving side to side to catch a glimpse of the screen while Noah kept moving to block it from view.

“Honestly, I expected better from you… wait a minute. Is that the new version?” Mr. Burley asked, dropping his voice down to a whisper. But he could hardly contain the excitement creeping into his voice. Noah resisted the urge to be shocked, instead playing along. “Yeah, you caught me,” he said, trying to sound defeated. But defeated wasn’t a word in his vocabulary - not when battling the Armada.

Mr. Burley’s expression softened. “Oh, well, I guess I’ll let you carry on, just this one.” Noah nodded gratefully, mostly because he didn’t want to get in trouble. Noah turned around and began to shut the computer down, of course, after closing the “Power Rangers” tab  _ and  _ deleting it from the computer’s history. “Oh, one more thing!” Someone suddenly spoke.

“Heya!” Noah shouted, immediately getting into a fighting stance, expecting an army of X-borgs to storm the door. But all he got was a very frightened Mr. Burley. “Mr. Burley!” Noah exclaimed, scrambling to cover the computer screen - again - since it hadn’t exactly finished shutting down yet. 

“Noah, I see you are a little on edge today, huh? That’s okay. The recent invasion has been hard on everyone. I just came by to give you a little tip.” The elderly teacher leaned closer. “I heard that level 4 is really,  _ really  _ hard. Good luck.” Noah nodded his thanks as the teacher finally left the computer lab. He shook his head in relief and closed down the desktop computer. 

“Now, to warn my friends ASAP!” Noah said to himself. The bell rang, signaling for him to get to class. First things first,” he said with a sigh. “Class time.”

That afternoon after school was out for the day, Gia came up to Emma’s locker. “Hi Emma!” She chirped cheerfully. Emma glanced at her in mock surprise. “Wow, you seem cheerful today!” She teased, grabbing her bag and slinging it over her shoulder. Gia laughed and ducked her head. Glancing up at her again, Gia asked, “Wanna hang out at Ernie’s today? I’ve got some things I wanna tell you.”

Emma nodded. “Same here. I’ve had the best day so far. Gia grew serious now. “Also, Noah said there was something he wanted to talk to us about, and he said it was important.” Emma stopped in the middle of the hallway. “You don’t think… it’s about Disvaluntine, do you?” she asked, slight fear creeping into her voice. Gia placed her hand on Emma’s arm reassuringly. “Whatever it is, we need to get there fast so he can spill.” Emma in turn nodded and the two girls speed-walked to Ernie’s.

Meanwhile, the boys all gathered at Jake’s locker where he was grinning like crazy. Sure Troy was happy, but Jake was just going over the top. So over the top that even Noah noticed. “Hey guys,” he said, coming over to Troy and Jake who were just about to head down to the computer lab to get him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, I'd like to apologize for the horrid delay and thank you all again by staying by my side through this story. I'll do my best to finish this story this year. I will ask, what do you all want to happen next? Let me know in the comments as it would greatly help me garner inspiration for the coming events in this fic. Love you all:)


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I promised an update soon, and here it is. I will most likely post every 2 weeks with a new update on this story. So far there's no end in sight, but until then, enjoy what I have so far!

“Jake, you look happy,” Noah noticed with an eyebrow raised. Jake just laughed and said, “Tell you once we meet the girls at Ernie’s.” Noah nodded as the three walked along. “I also need to tell you guys something, and it's really important.” In a couple of minutes, everyone had met up at the Froyo shop and were all seated. “Okay,” Noah started out. “I have something to tell you guys, and it branches off of Disvaluntine.” Troy leaned closer in his seat. “Tell us.” 

Noah sighed and nodded. “Okay, here’s what I found out this morning,” he began. “Disvaluntine has special eyesight that can see any… well, ‘hinting’ behavior of a relationship. And I have a feeling that he’ll strike today, it being Valentine's Day and all. So I was wondering… have any of you… um, done anything like that today?” Noah carefully asked, bracing himself for the answer.

The first things he noticed were the ashamed looks on all his friend’s faces. Jake broke the heavy silence. “To be fair, you didn’t warn us before.” Emma added in, “And it is Valentine’s Day…” Noah crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair. He knew he should be worried, but despite himself and the situation, he cracked a smile.

“Well…” Troy started to confess as Noah, Gia, and Jake all raised an eyebrow at him. He shot a knowing glance at Emma, who blushed. “I might have given Emma a rose for Valentine’s Day.” Emma added, “And I may have asked Troy to the dance on Friday…”Gia looked at Emma with a smile. “Is this what you wanted to tell me?” 

Emma just nodded. Noah let out a slight laugh and shook his head. He didn’t expect those two to do much. He wondered what Jake and Gia had done. “What about you two?” He asked, as Emma and Troy also turned to look at them. Jake played with his hands before launching into an explanation. 

“Okay, I got Emma’s help on this and I gave Gia a…” He took a deep breath. “Yellow rose, chocolates, a teddy bear holding a heart with her name on it, and… a homemade card.” Noah blinked. “Whoa! That’s a lot of stuff.” Jake nodded.

Noah sighed to himself, placing his elbows on the table and resting his chin on them. He glanced around the table and saw the others shift anxiously in their seats. He hated to be the bearer of bad news, but no one else was going to do it. This was a matter of love and death - for both his friends, and the fate of the entire world.

"This is going to make it even harder to tell you about this next part. If he senses that there are some romantic feelings between two people - and I mean even  _ senses _ it - then he'll shoot one of them with a black arrow. This erases any feelings of love and turns them to pure hate. This way, that person will only be focused on  _ killing _ the one they loved." He sat back and watched as the other four exchanged worried glances.

"So...let me get this straight," Gia started, eyes wide. "If he shoots one of us, we'll start trying to kill the other?" Noah simply nodded.

Troy spoke up. "But we're a team! We can't have one of our members fighting someone else. All of us have our weapons and skills so that would mean-"

"We might actually succeed in killing someone," Emma finished, voice soft and solemn.

Noah looked at each of them in the eye. "And you wouldn't snap out of your trance until they're dead." Just like that, any semblance of the playful mood they had before evaporated, and the Power rangers Megaforce were forced to confront the harsh reality they had found themselves in. Noah tried to do something, _ anything _ to break through the pressure. After all, he was the one to spring in on their special days. "But I mean, as long as you don't act like couples - by that I mean  _ please _ no banter or smiles or anything, all seriousness - then we should be fine. We should be fine." He hoped to god they believed it. Right now, belief was their only hope for survival without harm.

Thankfully Gia picked up on what he was trying to do, and she nudged Jake jokingly. "This should be easy guys. We're not even a couple."

At this, Jake pouted. "Yet."

Chuckling lightly to himself at their antics, Noah turned his gaze to Emma and Troy. "Can you guys reign it in?" Both of them locked eyes with each other, before turning back to this.

"Of course," Troy said in all seriousness. "This takes priority right now, and everything else is secondary."

"The last thing we want is for any of us to be fighting each other," Emma added in with a small smile.

Noah nodded. "Okay, good. Hopefully though, I'm wrong and Disvaluntine isn't coming today. We seriously need a break from fighting."

Gia let out a heavy sigh, running a hand through her blond locks in frustration. "Especially with the Armada and everything going on right now."

Emma laughed, propping her head in her hands. "Would it kill them to give us one night to be teenagers in love and enjoy ourselves?"

Jake nodded, slamming a fist down on the table dramatically. "We deserve this day! Besides, it's already 5:000 in the evening. Chances are, Disvaluntine isn't even coming anytime soo-"

_ CRASH! _

Troy rolled his eyes as the 3 other pairs of eyes turned to glare towards Jake. " _ Really Jake? Really?” _

Without another second of hesitation, the five of them jumped up from their seats, mentally preparing themselves for the reality of this latest monster. "Where are those power rangers?" Came a growling voice that most likely belonged to none other than this latest villain. "I'm going to wipe them all out on this precious day of love."

Noah seemed to sense what everyone was thinking for a second later he spoke. "It's him alright." He fixed them all with a pleading look. "Just please, all of you...be careful."

Troy nodded in determination. "We will. Everyone hands in. Earth's defenders..."

  
" _ Never surrender! _ "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. As always, kudos, like, and comment down below. Until next time!


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Omg I forgot to post 2 weeks ago! I'm so sorry, I had the chapter written just forgot to post it. To make up for it, here is a double post...sorry again!

With that, the teens ran out of Ernie's making their way towards the parking lot, where no doubt there was some havok being wrecked. Sure enough, when they got there, Disvaluntine was already there, in all of his big, ugly glory. "You think you can enjoy Valentine's day?" He was taunting, his words directed at the mass of terrified people around them. He seemed to have not noticed the Power Rangers yet (which was good, they had the element of surprise on their side). They watched as he zapped a couple sitting at a table nearby at an outdoor cafe. There was a blaster in his hand and a large scythe in the other - terrifying to say the least. 

The rangers let out identical gasps as the girl stood up abruptly, eyes flashing red. Immediately, she picked up the chair, proceeding to chase her terrified boyfriend around the parking lot. "Not anymore!" Satisfied with his work, Disvaluntine began to knock over tables and turn over cars and basically be a large nuisance. The rangers looked around, taking in the rest of the scene. Everyone was running and screaming. Some couples were chasing each other with whatever object they could find, seemingly set on the hatred that Disvaluntine conjured their love into. It was chaos. 

"What in the world is going on?" Emma asked, glancing around with wide eyes at how utterly disorganized and strange everything was.

Noah shook his head in shock. "I get having some fights with your S.O. but this is just  _ wack _ !"

Troy stepped forward, narrowing his eyes at the scene ahead of them. "This just means we have to stop this...Nighlok quickly."

"I'd prefer the Armada to this," Jake muttered, to which Gia swiftly nudged him.

"Ready when you guys are," the blond stated firmly, and Troy nodded.

"It's Morphin time! Go, go, Megaforce!" After inserting their power cards, all the rangers morphed, taking out their respective weapons. If Disvaluntine hadn't seen them before, he  _ definitely  _ noticed them now. Even the screaming crowd of people had given the rangers a wide berth. "Ah, Power Rangers!" Disvaluntine said grandly, sounding much too pleased to see them there. "Glad you could make it. I'll take great pleasure in destroying your team!"

"Not gonna happen," Troy said fiercely, gesturing towards the other rangers. "Let's split up. Emma and I will take the right, Gia and Jake, take the left, and Noah, take the center."

With nods, they began to leave before Noah held back, swiftly pulling Troy. "Might be a good idea to split up the couples," he whispered, chancing a glance towards Disvluntine who grinned at them, sharp scythe brandished. 

Troy huffed a breath. "Good plan." He clapped Noah on the shoulder, gesturing with his Dragon Sword as he raised his voice. "Jake, Emma, take the left. Gia, Noah, take the right. I've got the center." Everyone voiced their agreement, and they rushed into the fight. The rangers kept landing blow after blow, taking quite a few hits as well. Disvaluntine seemed to be hyped up on energy, no doubt garnered by the many couples he had broken up in his short time being there. One thing was clear - this was a villain unlike anything they had ever faced.

Disvaluntine laughed darkly, as if this entire fight was but a mere inconvenience on his mission. Somehow, that made the fight all the more difficult. The rangers gritted their teeth, continuing to fight back, all the while hoping the couples in the area (and general civilians as well) had gotten to safety. Noah was only praying that the two couples within their force would be able to keep from exposing themselves - now that would be deadly indeed. "Where is your weakness?" Disvaluntine pried, as Troy narrowly avoided a swing of the other's scythe. "A bunch of teenagers playing hero. There's got to be some love there! Because if I've learned anything about humans, it's that human teenagers are the stupidest of all, thinking they've found  _ the one _ ," he mocked. 

Troy nodded to Jake as the two landed a double attack, effectively causing some damage to the Nighlok. "Yeah?" He called out, trying to keep the smugness out of his voice. After all, he couldn't jinx the fight early on. "Well if there's one thing you should know about  _ these _ teenagers is that we're all a team."

Unfortunately, this had little effect on the monster, who simply got back up with his maniacal grin. "Don't worry, I know how to tell what real love is. Real love means sacrifice. In this dangerous game you kids are trying to play, I just have to see who you'd sacrifice everything for." He turned abruptly, shooting a couple who had been hiding in the bushes nearby (that the rangers had somehow missed). "Like I said, humans are so  _ stupid _ ."

Noah grunted, rubbing at his arm where he'd been a little too slow to move away from the scythe. "We're a team. We'd all sacrifice anything for each other. That's what teams - what  _ friends _ \- do." Disvaluntine simply continued to grin his unnerving grin, jabbing and swinging at the rangers as if they were merely flies he were swatting, lying in wait of something else...something bigger...something...

All of a sudden, he moved, quick as lightning (quicker than the rest of them even knew he was capable of) his scythe jabbed right towards Troy, who didn't have enough time to move back in time (a scream lodged in Emma's thoat at the sight) - only to swiftly change directions, doing a 180 to head for Jake's heart. Before any of the others could react, Gia seemed to spot it, crying out loudly. "Jake!" With that, she jumped, tackling the black ranger to the ground and safely out of range of the scythe. The only damage was an inch or so of blond hair that hadn't been fast enough to miss the blade.

Collapsed on Jake’s chest, Gia groaned, lifting her head. Both the rangers panted for breath, heartbeat racing at the near-death experience. Finally, the yellow ranger seemed to realize where she had landed and quickly moved to the side, though her glare never left his eyes. “You diot!” She whisper-yelled, hitting his shoulder. “Be careful!” But there was no malice in the words, only relief, and...and…

“I’ve found the couple.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked this chapter, and theres another one waiting for you as an apology!


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! As promised, here is the next update. It is pooooossssiiibble that the next update may come a little later than 2 weeks because I'm swamped with work at the moment. Bear with me! Until then, I hope you enjoy this chapter...

Immediately, all of the rangers froze, looking up in horror at the figure of Disvaluntine, who seemed to be taking his sweet time in sauntering towards him. As if he didn't have a care in the world. As if he already knew he had won.  _ Not on my watch _ , Troy thought to himself fiercely, not about to let any of his other rangers, his  _ friends _ get hurt over something they had every right to have. Everyone had a right to fall in love. 

That had been a thing he didn't think he'd ever get to experience for himself...until  _ her _ , Emma, with her beautiful voice and even more beautiful heart. A heart that sang for him, and it was all he could do to barely resist staying by her side forever. SHowing her that he loved her too, well and truly. But he couldn't do that. Not now. Not with this demon watching over them like a hawk watches prey, waiting for one of them to slip and make a deadly mistake so he could destroy them - and their love. He already had his sights on Jake and Gia for doing nothing more than protecting each other. And like hell Troy was going to let them get punished for  _ that _ . 

With a nod to his left and right, he, Noah, and Emma charged from behind, striking Disvaluntine with blow after blow to give the Green and Yellow rangers some time to stand up and re-orient themselves. However, Disvalunine seemed to be completely and utterly immune to all of their attacks and blows that the rangers launched at his back, as though he was energized by the prospect of destroying the budding love between the two rangers. Knowing his cruel background and practices, it seemed all too likely. 

Suddenly, Emma say a flash of movement by the Nighlok's side, and her eyes widened. He was getting out his anti-love blaster. Another glance towards Gia and Jake only confirmed the Pink ranger's worst fears - they were caged in, surrounded by three sides of wall, with Disvaluntine blocking any chance of their escape. She watched helplessly as he aimed it towards Jake and Gia, who had just begun to create a way out through the pillars. All of a sudden, everyone onwards felt like slow motion. And yet, it went by much too fast, all at the same time. 

Emma realized that there was no possible way the two were going to be able to make it unharmed. Unless...before she could hesitate for another moment (after all, another moment of inaction was a moment where her best friends could be harmed!), she darted forwards, a warning cry on her lips. "Guys, watch out!" From the other side of Disvaluntine, Troy felt fear grip his heart in its cold, icy hands as Emma ran forward, seemingly determined to save Jake and Gia and warn them of the incoming danger. _ But who’s going to save her? _

The Pink ranger clearly hadn't seen the scythe of Disvaluntine heading right for her path, as the Nighlok was currently swinging wildly with both weapons. Another minute and she'd get sliced in half! Troy couldn't let that happen. Without thinking his plan through, he ran towards her, right in front of Disvaluntine, uncaring of the danger he'd put himself into. It didn't matter. All that mattered was saving Emma. Vaguely, he registered Noah's frantic cry of "Guys, stop!"

...and Disvaluntine switching his aim at the last second. Just as Troy reached Emma to save her from the swing of the deadly scythe, Disvaluntine turned, hitting them both right in their chests with his anti-love blaster. All of a sudden, a cold and unsettling feeling took over his chest, stinging cold and burning hot at the same time. The pain was unbearable, and the two cried out, falling to their knees. Black spots danced in their visions, and the last thing either of them saw was Disvalunine's malicious smile before it all faded to dark.

Slowly, Troy blinked his eyes open as his vision grew fuzzy. His limbs felt much too heavy and there was a sort of aching in his heart that he couldn't quite place. What had happened last? Were they in the middle of a fight with someone? Did he get hit? If so, with what? From whom? All these questions and more made themselves present in his mind, as he struggled so sit up. There were arms helping him, and he mumbled his thanks, rubbing at his eyes in an attempt to wake himself up a bit more. 

Finally, his vision cleared, and he was able to make out a very large figure standing a little ways in front of him. The thing that really registered was the malicious smile on its grinning face - suddenly, it all came rushing back.  _ Disvaluntine… Jake and Gia...Emma! Is she okay? Where is she? _

"Emma's still unconscious." Troy turned his head to the side to see Noah supporting one of his arms, with Jake holding the other. He must have said that out loud then. A glance over confirmed that Emma was laying down a couple feet away from him, Gia at her side. He started to get up, heading over to her. "Uh, Troy?" He was stopped by Noah still holding onto his arm, and Troy narrowed his eyes at the way Jake and Noah seemed to be exchanging worried glances. "Maybe you shouldn't go over to her just yet. We should try and defeat this guy before you go talk to her." 

  
Troy shook his head, turning to peer at Disvaluntine who was - strangely - just...standing there. No weapons were out, he wasn't moving, wasn't attacking...nothing. But the self-assured grin was on his face, as if he were just waiting for a bomb to drop. “No, I...I need to see her.” They were both hit with Disvaluntine’s shot. But, his feelings towards Emma didn’t change. Something must have gone wrong with Disvaluntine - something to their advantage. He didn’t hate her. Not in the least. Surely she couldn’t hate him. She wouldn’t. Because she was Emma. And he loved her.  _ He can’t tear us apart. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooooh looks like we're getting into the good stuff. Can you predict what comes next? Let me know in the comments below! Take care until next time <3

**Author's Note:**

> Don't forget to leave a kudos and let me know in the comments how you liked this!


End file.
